The Wishing Box
by Alyssa4Music4Life
Summary: A small box...with amazing powers. She never knew one small wish could cause so much harm....can she fix it before the boy she loves gets his life destroyed?
1. Trailer

**Here's that trailer i mentioned!! Five reviews for continue?**

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The Wishing Box**

**-Trailer-**

She's desperately in love…

"_He's stolen my heart…"_

But he doesn't notice her…

"…_and completely crushed it."_

…not one little bit.

"_He has a girlfriend. I lost!"_

While shopping with friends…

"_Wow! Check out that neat little store, guys!"_

She stumbles upon something more powerful than she ever realized…

"_It's a Wishing Box."_

"_Well…what's it do?"_

She makes a mistake…

_I wish…_

And now, someone's life may be ruined…

"_POLICE! You're under arrest!"_

Can she fix it?

"_I will help. I will make things right!"_

Or will it be…

"_What do you mean…gone?"_

Too late?

"_No…"_

**Coming soon…?**


	2. Chapter 1

**ALL RIGHT!! I am officially starting this story! I'd already had this half done but I never finished it. But now I have! I hope you enjoy it!!  
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The Wishing Box**

_Hey._

_Yeah, you. Come here. Closer…_

_No, I'm not a rapist. Pfft, please, would a married twenty five year old woman really be a rapist?_

_Then again, this world is quite strange, isn't it?_

_What? Oh, yeah. I asked you to come here, didn't I? I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you why._

_Here, take this._

_It's a box._

…_Yeah I know you knew that. Don't you be calling me an idiot, moron, cuz this box has given me enough shit._

_It was a wishing box…no I'm not going to tell you what that is! Look it up on the internet, cuz I don't have the ti-_

_WELL! If you kiss your mother with that mouth, I have to feel very sorry for her._

…_Are you high? _

_No…I'm not. I'm just hormonal._

…_Ew. No I'm not on …that.._

_No I'm not pregnant either. My husband's scared of little kids…and if you ever tell him that I will kill you, cuz he doesn't know I know...heck, I don't think he knows, either._

_No! I am not taking this box. I've had it for nearly ten years and I am sick of it. It gave me hell a long time ago…okay, ten years ago but still._

…_Look, just take the box and run!_

………_No. I won't tell you the story._

_Well fine! Talk to the police. _

_Why the hell would I be running around with a bomb?_

…_If you put that phone away right now I'll explain myself…and don't even think about dialing 911 and putting it on speaker phone. I have my ways._

…_No. I'm not drunk._

_You wanna hear a story about this box or what??_

_Good. Now shut the hell up and sit down, because this is a long one._

**

* * *

Ten Years Ago…**

"Caitlyn, are you listening?" Mitchie Torres, my best friend, demanded. I blinked sleepily and adjusted the phone.

"No. I fell asleep, I think," I yawned. "Hang on." I grabbed the Bluetooth from my desk, stuck my phone in my pocket and put the Bluetooth on. "'Kay, sorry. So…what were we talking about?"

Mitchie sighed, aggravated. Duh. I just fell asleep in the middle of the longest explanation of a date in the history of mankind…her date…her explanation.

Wait…what?

"Caitlyn, were you on Facebook all night or something?" Mitchie demanded. "This is like, the fifth time. You even fell asleep at lunch…on Nate's shoulder."

"WHAT?!" I squeaked. I had fallen asleep on NATE? WHAT?

She laughed. "Good. You're up now."

I scoffed. "That is so not funny. And I was not on Facebook all night, thank you very much. I was studying for the history test that was today. I took one glance at that study sheet and I knew I didn't know a thing on it. Give me a break."

Mitchie sighed, holding back laughter. That was obvious. "Caity, the history test was the easiest thing in the world."

"Says you; you're the smartest student in the grade! You're not even supposed to be in this grade! You're supposed to be a freshman!"

"Well, I'm not and I say it was easy."

"Ugh." I rubbed my forehead. "Does this conversation have a point? Particularly an _ending _point? I think my dog needs a walk."

"That is why they invented cell phones, my friend."

Damn! She got me.

Sigh.

"Mitchie, I love you but I am so out of it, I doubt I can remember my last name."

"It's Gellar."

"Thank you so much," I replied sarcastically. "I owe you."

"Yep." She laughed. "Come on, Caity. You want to hear about the date or not?"

"Weren't you talking about that before I fell asleep?" I asked, picking up my pillow and putting it back on the bed, working hard not to yawn. "Seriously, Mitchie, you go into so much detail that when you call me to tell me about your first bed-date with him, I am not going to answer. I want to keep my mind as pure as possible."

"Said the girl who thinks that connecting an iPod with its headphones portrays something dirty," Mitchie said, chuckling. "And sorry about the detail. But, come on! My life is almost perfect. I went to Camp Rock, found out you live near me and now Shane is here with Connect 3 for a year! Isn't that brilliant?"

"I guess," I shrugged. "If you like Connect 3."

"Well, we all know you don't," Mitchie said. "Well, not all of them."

I scoffed again, trying to hide my panic. "All of them. I don't like a single one of those boys."

"Then Nate is a girl?"

I almost choked on spit. "Huh?"

"You like Nate, you know you do!" Mitchie sighed. "Why don't you admit it?"

"I do not like Nate," I retorted.

"Caitlyn…" Mitchie said, her voice rising on the last part of my name. "Lying is a sin, sweetie." She should know; she's Christian. Now, I love the Lord but Mitchie is the one who actually goes to church more than once a year.

I sighed deeply. "Am I really that obvious?" I had worked so hard to keep my secret quiet, but some people read me like Twilight. It wasn't fair.

"Well…" Mitchie hedged. "Yeah."

I laughed lightly. "Thank you so much for the support," I said sarcastically, smiling even though Mitchie couldn't see. "But, seriously! I thought I was doing so well! How could you tell?" I was dying to know; I needed to cover this up.

"Oh, where do I start?" my best friend said dramatically. "The ruby-red cheeks? The breathlessness when speaking? Or, oh," she drawled out. "The fact you can't shut your mouth around him! 'Hi, Naattee,'" she drawled out in a poor imitation of my voice. "'Oh, hellloooo Natteee…Natey Nate Nate!'"

I scoffed.

"I do not sound like that."

"But you say that."

"Do not!"

"Do, too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

This went on for quite awhile. Finally I shouted "Okay that's enough! Fine, I admit it. I like Nate. No, scratch that I love Nate but you know what? It's never going to matter. He's stolen my heart and completely crushed it. Nate's dating Tess remember? They met after Final Jam? Yeah, he has a girlfriend. I lost! It was a game that he never played and I lost. So don't you dare even mention it to anyone because it's never going to matter!"

Mitchie sighed. "Oh, Cait," she sighed. "I…I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

I sighed. "Yeah…It doesn't matter anyway." I ignored the dull throb in my gut and changed the subject. "So, is everyone coming over on Saturday so my mom can drive us to the outlet mall?"

"Oh, yeah I think so," Mitchie said eagerly. "Oh, but um…Nate's, um, bringing a friend."

'A Friend.'

Tess.

Oh joy.

"Oh, okay," I said anyway. "Well, hey, I got to go. I'll talk to you later?"

"Mmkay! Bye."

"'Bye."

I turned off my Bluetooth and looked at the clock. It was already eight thirty and I was too hurt and tired to stay up any later. I changed out of my clothes, pulled on my pajamas and laid down on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I had first met Nate years ago, when he and Connect 3 were little campers at Camp Rock. He and I were actually good friends and when he, Shane and Jason won Final Jam and got a record deal, he and I actually kept in contact through emails for a while. But then, a few months before Camp Rock started for this year's term, the emails started to stop. I guessed it was just because of Shane's jerkiness that he had to deal with. But, still, it hurt.

And in that amount of time he ignored me, I felt something new. Something new but badly so. I began to crave hearing from him, to see his name in my inbox, to see the happy little smiley faces he put in the emails. I wanted to know he was still there. He entered all my thoughts and when I got a puppy for my birthday, I was a centimeter close to calling him Nate. I was desperately in love, and I knew it.

But I didn't care.

And then we met after Final Jam. I was outside, sitting against the wall when he had ducked out an instantly seen me. To my happiness, he still remembered me and then we made plans to meet up, which we did. But I never, ever once told him how I felt. I couldn't. I just didn't have the courage. Then, all of us ended up in the same town, Connect 3 for just a year, and everyone made plans to hang out.

Unfortunately, who has to move to this city and take Nate's heart?

The one…the only…Tess Tyler.

I let tears run down my face for a while before rolling over and falling into a Nate-dream-filled sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-**

_Oh, be quiet. It's not like you've never cried yourself to sleep before._

…_You haven't?_

_Well, then I'm glad your life is so god damn perfect._

* * *

I awoke to my iPod going off in my iHome. The song was Connect 3's single 'Play My Music', just like every other day. I opened my eyes and sighed, rolling out of bed. I grabbed the clothes I had thrown over my chair that I wanted to wear today and pulled them on.

My outfit was a simply-me style. Straight jeans, high topped black converse, a red long-sleeved shirt under a gray t-shirt with The Beatles written on it, blah blah blah. Usual stuff.

I sang along to the song as I brushed out my hair, pulled most of it into a high ponytail, and let my bangs frame my face. Then, I went downstairs and looked around the empty kitchen, the house eerily quiet. But this was a usual thing, now. My mom went off to work at her office in town near five every morning, and my dad…well, if I didn't wake him up every morning to get him to drive me to school, then he'd be asleep until four in the afternoon.

My older brother, Chad, wasn't here anymore to take care of me. He had gone off to college a while ago, and I missed him terribly. He made the best breakfasts.

Sighing and humming to myself, I opened the freezer and grabbed out three Ego waffles, popping them into the toaster. I grabbed the milk out of the refrigerator and made myself hot chocolate, just as the timer dinged. I put the waffles on a plate, inhaling their warm aroma and grabbed the maple syrup. I carried the plate and the mug of hot chocolate (which was giving off a wonderful aroma of chocolate, making my entire body crave it) to the table and sat down, turning on my laptop to check my email.

I looked around the dark house and back at my breakfast.

Bon appetite.

* * *

Once my dad dropped me off at school, I went straight to my locker. Yawning, I turned the dial to my combination and popped the door open. Grabbing my backpack off my shoulder, I put my books inside, then removed some of them for my classes.

"Hey, Caitlyn," someone tiredly greeted me. I turned and smiled at Shane, who looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Let me guess," I said, taking my books into my arms. "Stayed up until, oh, midnight, one o'clock, talking to Mitchie?"

He opened his mouth to protest, then hung his head in shame.

"Yes."

"Wow, smart ass, aren't we?" I teased, slamming my locker door. Shane sighed.

"Hey, guys," an overly-cheerful, unmistakable voice that belonged to a certain pop-stars daughter. "Happy Tuesday."

"What's so great about Tuesday?" I muttered. _Especially this one, seeing as it's another one where you're attached to Nate?_

For Tess, as usual, was on Nate…my Nate's…arm.

_Nice arm candy, buddy. She's a hooker, you know._

"Well, it's obviously not Monday," she said in her stupid, no-duh tone.

"Wow, you can keep track of the days," I said, faking a tone of being impressed. "You can actually be in the real world when you're not in front of your mirror."

"Wow, that's rich, coming from someone who looks like she doesn't own one," Tyler snapped. I bit back my hatred and my rather 'colorful' words.

"Hey, stop it," Nate cut in, who had been standing rather quietly beside his bitch. "We're all friends here, remember?"

Hah, not in this life, pal.

I don't even know why Nate tries to make me and Tess be nice to each other. He should know by now that I will never, ever be nice to any girl who stole him…okay, maybe he shouldn't know that, but he should at least have gotten a clue that I will never be nice to _it._

I didn't answer but Tess fluttered her eye lashes and smiled at Nate. "Okay, Natey," she cooed, then kissed him on the cheek.

Want to know the only reason why I didn't tackle her to the ground, right then and there, and yank her hair and face out?

Because…the principal was about five feet away from us.

"Miss Tyler!" he snapped. "That is not appropriate for school. My office, now."

Wait…what?

Did she just get in trouble? For real, fo shiz, actual trouble? Tess was so sly, she never got in trouble!

But…she was! She was actually in trouble.

I watched her stalk off to the office and smirked.

"Hope she doesn't break those Prada heels."

"Oh, will you just stop, Caitlyn?" Nate demanded. "Look, I know Tess has treated you like crap in the past, but she's really trying to be nice. Can't you at least try, too?"

"She's not trying," I spat. "She still treats me like crap, only when you aren't around." This was true.

"No, she doesn't," Nate insisted.

"How the hell would you know?" I demanded.

Nate was silent and I stomped away, almost running into Mitchie in the process, who has just run to her locker. Poor girl was always late.

"What happened?" she asked, seeing my fiery expression. But deep, down inside, I was singing, my insides ablaze with warmth. I loved talking to Nate, I loved how he teased me, I loved when we fought…I loved it all.

"Nothing," I sighed. "Nate and I were just fighting."

"Oh," she said, nodding and opening her locker. "Hey, so what's the math homework?"

Poor forgetful little Mitchie. I don't know how she managed to skip a grade.

* * *

The rest of the week went by pretty quickly. But it was terrible one for me. Not the most terrible week ever, but one of them. Not as bad as the week when Tess and Nate started dating, and certainly not as bad as the week when I caught them kissing….oh, hell ,that had been awful. I'd almost thrown up, then and there. Luckily, I made it to the bathroom, but still.

Nope, this week wasn't as bad as those weeks, but it was still pretty awful. I got a B- on my language arts test, which is bad because it's usually my best subject. Then, I got a bad grade on my science report, though no surprise there. I hated science anyway. And then, there was the dance.

It was the 60's dance, and it wasn't for two more weeks but the signs were everywhere. I'd been walking along and Tess had run up and practically shouted in my face "Nate is going to take me to the dance, Caitlyn! Too bad he can't take you!"

Did you know you can get a detention for slapping someone and then they pretend to cry?

Anyway, then I woke up and it was Saturday. Sunlight snuck into my room through my window shades, warming the atmosphere, and waking me up. Outside, a bird chirped and I guessed it was on the branch on the tree outside my window.

I rolled out of bed and smelt the delicious, greasy, meaty, carnivore calling scent of turkey bacon frying on the stove downstairs. I pounded down the stairs. My puppy, Cosmo, the one I got for my birthday, ran up and licked my leg. I laughed and picked him up.

"Hey, Cos," I greeted him and petted his head. He panted and I put him down. He led the way to the kitchen where my mother was making biscuits and my dad was making bacon. I was surprised they were already up, but I decided not to comment.

"So, are you going into town today?" Mom asked me. I nodded, taking a sip of the orange juice that was at my place at the table.

"Yeah, aren't you taking us?" I rechecked.

"Of course!" my mom said, surprised. "I was just double checking that you remembered."

"Yeah," I said. "They should be here around eleven o'clock." I glanced at the timepiece on the counter. It read 9:04. Perfect, I had time to shower, dress and all that jazz.

"All right, sweetie. How much bacon do you want?"

"I don't mind."

This was a typical Saturday morning. My parents got up and made a nice breakfast that we all sat down and ate together, then we'd go in separate directions. My dad to his part time job, my mom down into her sewing room and me…me, I usually went on the computer or out with my friends. Then, the next day, everyone (except me) sleeps in until about twelve. I'm usually up at the crack of dawn, doing whatever.

I ate my breakfast and went back upstairs to shower. It was a chilly morning, despite the sun shining, so I put on the water to a very warm temperature to try to get the goose bumps off my skin. The water ran down my back like tears, and wet my face like rain.

An hour and a half later, the doorbell rang. I was fully dressed in skinny jeans, boots and a blouse, so I ran downstairs and opened the door to reveal Mitchie standing there.

"Hey," she greeted me, coming inside. "I talked to Shane and he said they were going to be a little late."

"Oh, that's fine," I said. "I don't mind."

"All right."

'A Little Late' turned out to be over half an hour late. When the doorbell finally rang at 11:45, I opened the door to see Connect 3 and…Tess. Disappointment ran through me; I had hoped that something might have happened so she didn't come today, like a broken nail or a meteor crashing into her house and crushing her flat, or maybe just an STD…she cheats on Nate, I'm sure.

"Hey," I said, a little dully.

"Hi, Caitlyn!" Jason exclaimed, pulling me into a huge bear hug. My air choked off and I gasped out

"Hi…Jas…in…please…let…me ….go!"

"Oh, sorry!"

He dropped me and smiled, ruffling my hair. "Let's go shopping!"

Ladies and Gentlemen…I give you Jason, the one boy who is completely straight, yet could spend his entire life in a mall and be in heaven.

I rolled my eyes. "All right. Let's go!"

If only I'd known what that shopping trip held.

* * *

**All right!! I finally got the second chapter up! I started it last night and would have finished and updated then, but it's a thing called "Parents wanting you to sleep." I have no idea where they get it from...Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!!**

**Rock 'N Roll!**

**Stay In School!**

**REVIEW!**

**-Alyssa  
**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-**

_Don't worry, now is when the pace really picks up._

* * *

We all piled into Jason's old Ford and were soon on the highway, rumbling towards the outlet mall. I was squished between Mitchie and Nate, but I didn't mind for the most part…even though Tess was on Nate's other side and giving him butterfly kisses on his neck every half second. For some reason, though, he was ignoring her for the most part and was actually pretty quiet...I mean, quieter than usual.

I looked over at him and my brow creased. "Nate?" I asked, over the laughter in the car. "Are you all right? You're so quiet…" I trailed off, seeing out of the corner of my eye that Tess was staring at me…more like glaring.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nate said quickly, glancing at me and managing a small grimace-smile. Tess kissed his cheek but he didn't acknowledge it. She scowled and pouted, looking out the window. Finally, Nate reacted and looked over at her. He smoothed her hair with his hand but she turned stubbornly away. Sighing, Nate looked back at me. I shrugged.

"She's your bit-"

"Caitlyn," Jason warned me. I grinned slyly. Somehow, Jason always caught me before I could say what I _really _wanted to say. He was a lot like my older brother Chad in that way.

Nate gave me a stern look but bit his lip. I noticed.

"Nate, really, what is it?" I asked softly, wanting nothing more to reach out and brush his beautiful curls out of his face, cradle his cheek in my hand, and kiss his soft looking lips. Instead, I looked strongly at him.

"Nothing," he instead. "I just…I don't know, I feel…different about something. Like…something's going to change today." He grinned slightly at me. "Guess the stardom has finally got me cracking, huh?"

"What stardom?" I snorted, but kept an eye on him.

Want to know a secret?

I felt what he did, too.

* * *

Jason parked the car and we piled out. The warm sun snuck into my skin and I stretched happily. The cold air had moved on and had been replaced by seventy degree weather. I loved it.

"Okay, so, what's the grand plan?" Mitchie asked, jumping to the ground beside me and grabbing her purse. "Split up, meet at the food court in an hour?"

"Sounds good," Jason said, getting out of the car and blinking at the bright light. "There is a new arcade game with my name on it."

I rolled my eyes. "Grow up, Jason, please?"

Jason gasped, faking hurt and aghast. "Never."

"You're so gay," Shane sighed, punching him in the arm. Jason shoved him back.

"Watch it, dude. You're the one dating Mitchie, remember?"

"Hey!" both Shane and Mitchie exclaimed. Mitchie was laughing, though, but Shane went for another punch, aimed at Jason's nose.

I laughed as Jason grabbed Shane's fist and held him in a headlock.

"Stop!" Tess exclaimed. "You're embarrassing me! Nate, make them stop!" The last line was more of a whine, though how she expected him to break the fight up with her clinging to his arm was a mystery to me.

"Aww, chill, Tess," Jason said, while Shane struggled to free himself. "Embarrassment is a part of the Connect 3 package."

"Haha, hilarious," Tess sniffed. "Come on, Nate, let's get out of here."

Nate opened his mouth to protest, but by then Tess had wheeled him about and was almost literally dragging him across the parking lot towards the main shopping area. He looked a little less than pleased. I snickered and bit my lip harshly to keep from laughing aloud.

"All right, we'll see you later guys," Mitchie said after the little 'Ness' group and turned back to the boys. "Are you coming or are we on our own?"

"I still want to go to the arcade," Jason whined. Shane rolled his eyes.

"_Fine_," he sighed. "Let's go."

"Yay!" Jason said enthusiastically and followed Shane as eagerly as a puppy.

I blinked and slowly turned to look at Mitchie, who was doing the same to me. We raised our eyebrows.

"Well _that's_ not creepy," I said slowly. Mitchie laughed and I couldn't help but follow.

"Just think, that's your boyfriend," I snickered. Mitchie stopped laughing abruptly and her face turned to horror.

"Aw, _man!" _ she exclaimed. "I'm about to lose Shane to his brother!"

I stared at her. "Wow. Um, yeah, I'm just gonna…go," I said, slowly sliding away. Mitchie realized what she had said and started laughing.

"Oh wow, I'm dating a gay guy," she agreed.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my wallet from the backseat of the car. Mitchie glanced at me and rolled her eyes.

"It's a thing called a _purse_," she said, laughing. I shrugged.

"I don't like them," I said simply. "They're too hard to keep track of." I pocketed my wallet and we walked off towards Forever 21.

* * *

"So what's up with you lately?" Mitchie asked out of the blue, as she examined a green shirt with white polka dots. "You're so quiet, which is not like Caitlyn Gellar."

I was standing on the other side of the clearance rack, shifting through some skinny jeans. Sighing, I stopped and looked down at my hand, which was still holding onto a jean leg.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I guess…I don't know, things aren't exactly great right now."

"But they aren't much worse," Mitchie protested, then added "…right?"

I sighed. "Yeah but maybe I'm just getting sick of it."

"Maybe," Mitchie agreed, then peered over the rack at me. "Hey, but you know what? You're a great, strong, independent person. You'll find a way to get Nate yours, or at least move on."

I smiled at her. "You think so?"

"I know so. Darling, trust me. You and Nate would totally work out as a couple." Mitchie winked. "Especially a _married _couple. You'd have fun then!"

I gasped and threw a shirt at her. "Take that back!"

"Never!" Laughing, Mitchie left the store, me on her heels, only to ran SMACK into a familiar person.

"Ouch!" Shane exclaimed, grabbing Mitchie's shoulders to keep her steady. "Wow, you missed me, huh?"

Mitchie laughed as I ran up. "Sure, Shane. Whatever."

"Where's Jason?" I asked, looking around. I did not see the crazy little friend around anywhere.

"Oh, he's still in the arcade," Shane said, rolling his eyes. "He and this little ten year old are locked in a battle or so." He shook his head. "I didn't think it would end pretty…so I left." He grinned.

I chuckled. "What was it, the Dino game?"

"Nope, the Star Wars battle," Shane said, putting an arm around Mitchie's shoulders and hugging her to his side. "It might be awhile."

"Agreed," Mitchie murmured. We all fell into step beside each other, chatting randomly.

Suddenly, shouts and camera flashes surrounded us. Paparazzi!

"Shane, Shane over here!" one man shouted. "Smile, pretty boy!"

"Shane, are they your girlfriends?" a blonde lady asked.

"Shane, is true Jason's gay?"

Wow. News travels fast!

"Run!" Shane hissed and grabbed my arm, pulling both me and Mitchie along. The paparazzi followed, still streaming out questions like a machine.

I stumbled over my shoes and looked around. An old alley stared at me.

"In here!" I hissed and pulled my friends down the alley. The end of the alley opened to another part of the shopping center, one I'd never seen before.

"Did we lose them?" Mitchie gasped, breathing heavily. Shane looked back and nodded.

"I think so. Paparazzi have a short attention span."

I was barely paying attention to their conversation, still looking around the area. The buildings were old, worn down, and placed in a sort of circular formation, making a little cul-de-sac like place. Most of the buildings were dilapidated and abandoned, but as I looked around, I saw that one store was still in use.

_Antiques and Interesting Baubles _ the sign read. In the window, there were old, ancient books, a china doll, an old top and a bunch of other cool things.

"Wow! Check out that neat little store, guys!" I said, walking closer. "C'mon let's go check it out."

"It looks creepy," Mitchie noted, shaking her head.

"Aww, come on," I said. "It looks so cool!"

"Nah, I'm good," Mitchie said. "Besides, I'm pretty hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

"No, I think I'm going to check this place out," I said slowly. "I…I'll catch up with you later."

"All right," Mitchie said slowly. "See you later Caitlyn."

"'Bye," I murmured, still staring into the shop. Beyond the window, I could see bookshelves full of old books, and tables with china eggs and jewelry boxes, and a bunch of other old junk.

I looked behind me. Shane and Mitchie had already left.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped up the stairs and pushed the old door open.

* * *

**OOh things are getting intresting...sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've had writers block : (**

**and i'm sorry this one is a bit short...I really want to get my other stories updated! :) I might update again before Saturday if i get, oh, ten reviews before then... :)  
**

**Stay in school!**

**Rock 'n Roll**

**REVIEW**

**-Alyssa  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-**

The old store smelled musty and, well, old, like all antique stores usually smell. Somehow, I was drawn to it, and took another step inside. A bell jingled as the door opened and closed, and my footsteps echoed on the old wooden floor.

Nobody was at the old counter, so I browsed among the shelves. There were little china dolls, music boxes, old books, you name it.

I turned around…and screamed.

Big, green eyes were staring back at me from the darkness at the back of the shop.

And then…a small, black cat with big green eyes slinked out of the corner and regarded me. I put a hand on my pounding heart and let out a breath. "Oh, it's only you," I murmured.

I'm 100% sure that if that cat could talk, he/she would call me a dumbass.

"Ah, I see you've met Crystal," a voice acknowledged. I spun around. An elderly lady stood behind the counter, smiling gently.

"Uhh…" I stuttered. "Yeah…"

The cat, Crystal, rubbed against my ankles and purred gently before slinking away.

The lady and I stood in awkward silence. The lady studied me, as if she were trying to see past my skull into my brain.

_I wish Nate was here _I thought randomly. Whoa… laugh out loud.

As soon as I thought that, the woman smiled widely, displaying perfect white teeth. I wondered idly if they were dentures.

"I think I have something for you," she said, looking rather smug. She ducked behind the counter and I heard things shifting around.

"Uh…"

"Here it is," she announced triumphantly, reappearing. "Come here, darling…"

Thinking wildly of the stories I've read on the internet, of kidnappings and such, I cautiously approached the counter. The lady smiled.

"No fears," she whispered, and placed a wooden box on the counter. I took a step closer and peered at the box. It was made of pale, brown wood and the cover and sides were decorated lavishly with stars, and a moon carved on top. It was actually very pretty.

"Whoa," I breathed. "That's a pretty box."

"Oh, this isn't just an ordinary box," the lady said immediately. "It's a Wishing Box."

Sales pitch. Duh.

"Well…what's it do?" I asked, playing along.

"It makes any wish you want come true," the woman said mysteriously. "You place a wish on a paper inside, and then…the wish will come true."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Uh huh," I said slowly. Thinking quickly, I took a casual glance around the store, as if giving it a once over. "Well, thank you very much…I better get back to my friends…"

I began to walk towards the door but the woman stopped me. "Wait," she said in her quiet voice. "I want you to have this."

I looked around to see her gesturing to the Wishing Box.

"Please," she insisted when she saw the doubtful expression cross my face.

"Uh…w-why?" I asked cautiously.

"I do believe you could use this," she murmured, staring intently at me. "Please?"

"Uh…okay…" I said slowly, coming forward and gently picking the box up. "Thank…you?"

"No problem," the lady said, smiling gently. "Oh and one more thing…it only works with wishes from the heart. You must be absolutely certain you want your wish to come true. Otherwise…the box will never work again for you."

"Oh," I nodded, perplexed. "Okay. Goodbye."

"Goodbye dear."

I stepped out of the shop, and turned around to see that all the windows were blinded up, and the door was closed.

"That's weird," I murmured, then looked back at the box in hand. How in the heck was I supposed to explain this to everyone?

Sighing, I tucked the box under my arm and made my way back into the main mall. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Caitlyn, where are you?" Mitchie's voice demanded.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I got…held up at that little store. It was so cool, you know, and I love antiques…"

"You do?"

Crap. "Oh, sure," I said offhandedly. "I love 'em. My mom…err, my mom's mom, my grandmother, had a whole houseful of old junk. I loved looking at it all."

"Oh, okay." Mitchie still sounded unsure. "Well…we're waiting at the food court. See you there?"

"Oh, sure, sure," I said quickly. "See you there."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Oh boy…

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Tess's annoying voice sneered. "You got scammed into buying an old, musty, ugly box?"

It was true…I'd gotten to the table to find that some of my money was missing.

"No," I said frostily. "I think I just didn't realize how much money I had...or maybe I was robbed or something."

"I _told you_ you needed a purse!" Mitchie sighed. "Well, be thankful they didn't take it all, if any was stolen. But come on, we're getting you a purse."

"But I don't need a purse," I whined.

Nate chuckled. "Aw, leave her alone," he said to Mitchie. "When she gets mugged, then she can get one."

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. "It could happen if I had a purse or not, thank you very much."

Nate just smirked and took a sip of his Diet Coke. I pressed my lips together and looked away, heart pounding. Sighing quietly, I took a nibble of the Big Mac I'd gotten from the McDonalds stand.

"Oh my gosh!" Tess exclaimed. "Caitlyn, no wonder you're fat, look at that junk you're eating. Here, trying my salad."

_WHAT?_

"Excuse me?" I said quietly. The boys had stopped chatting and were now staring between Tess and me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-"

"Shut. Up."

With that, I got up took a huge bite of my sandwich and spit it at Tess before walking away.

Stupid bitch.

* * *

**Hey guys, I'M BACK!! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was busy with school, softball, and other stuff...but I'M BACK! (summer vacation!! YAY!)**

**And that was a crap chapter, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get something down so I can begin updating EVERYTHING again. **

**Again, sorry for the blah chapter, but please review (If you're still out there, reading my stories after sOOOOO LONG!)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-**

That night after I finished some homework, I found myself thinking about that stupid little box, which was currently hiding in the back of my closet, beneath the purse Mitchie insisted I bought (she actually ended up paying for half of it.).

It was a dumb idea really…after all, that woman was just trying to make a sale, which is why she said all of those things about it…

_But, _a smug little voice pointed out _she didn't. She gave it to you. For free._

That was true…unless some of my money really was taken, which I doubt, because I'm pretty sure I found the rest of it under my pillow when I got home.

_Exactly._

Oh, stop, I told myself. It's a stupid little jewelry box, nothing more. Nothing at all.

I tried to be firm with myself. I really did.

But suddenly, I was sitting at my desk with the box sitting in front of me. Groaning, I blew some hair out of my face and gingerly reached out to run my fingers along the smooth wood. It was a really beautiful box…

How long I sat there in dead silence, staring at that box, is beyond me. Finally, I looked over and grabbed a pen and a sticky note. I stared at them again, the wish already clear in my head. I looked sadly at the picture by my bed, then picked the pen up.

"You're going to regret this," I muttered aloud, before putting the pen to paper.

Slowly, I wrote out: _I wish Nate loved me, and only me._

Slowly, I folded the paper in half, and even more slowly I lifted the lid of the box. What met me, surprised me.

A small, heart shaped locket lay on the blue velvet on the bottom of the box, gleaming slightly in the dull light of my lap. I reached out and picked it up.

A surge of heat flooded my body, then nothing. I almost dropped the locket, but instead scolded myself for being such a chicken and put the locket gently on the table.

I wondered how it got in there, and if the lady from the store had meant to put inside…

_Probably not, _I decided and dropped the paper into the box.

I was about to close the lid when something caught my eye. The locket suddenly gleamed. I reached out and picked it up again, leaving the box lid open. Turning the locket over in my hands, I determined it was just a regular gold locket. There were, however, little words carved in the back of it.

I squinted at it.

_Wish: Strong desire, longing_

Then, in even smaller letters, _forever _

Shrugging to myself, I decided that the locket actually went with the box, and started to put it on.

Suddenly, a thought raced through my head: The box didn't rattle at all when I'd first gotten it. It was completely silent.

This thought had barely passed when the locket suddenly was around my neck. The lid of the box suddenly flipped down. The locket felt warm against my neck. My room lights flickered, and went out.

* * *

"Caitlyn, phone call!" was the next thing I heard. I woke up in my bed, my pajamas on, the lamp off and the box nowhere to be seen. I wondered hopefully if everything that had occurred was just a bad dream.

And then I saw where the box lay, on its side, on the floor next to my bed.

My stomach dropped. "Damn," I swore. Rolling out of bed, I picked it up. It surprised me by being very, very cold, like ice. My hand burned and I quickly placed it back on the desk. Something thumped against my chest. It was the locket, now cold and hard.

"Caitlyn, that was Mitchie, she wants you to call her back soon!" my mom called up from the first floor. I shook myself out and called back

"Okay mom, thanks!"

I glanced at the clock and my eyes widened. It was already almost noon! I'd been asleep for more than twelve hours. "Whoa," I muttered, blinking. What a night…well, I was refreshed enough, all right.

I grabbed my robe and took a quick shower before heading downstairs. The house was silent, save for my dad typing away at his Mac Book and mom's favorite soap opera on in the living room. It looked like my bro had been and gone. Sighing, I shuffled for some food to fill my needy (and rather loud at this point) stomach, all the while dialing Mitchie's number on the home line.

She answered on the first right. "Hey, Caitlyn?"

"Hey Mitch," I greeted her cheerfully, stirring some eggs for a light brunch. "How goes it?"

"Nothing, it's just…I heard that Nate and Tess got in this huge fight."

I almost dropped the egg beater. My heart pounded, excitement bubbling in my stomach. "R-Really?" I asked, then almost kicked myself for sounding so eager. Trying to sound more casual, I added salt, pepper, milk, and cocoa powder to the mix (This was my usual combo…I liked my food weird, it was a fun gift.) and asked "So, is it like, over with them?"

"No," Mitchie sighed. "I guess Nate apologized or something, I don't even know what they were fighting about. Honestly, it was probably Tess's fault. You know Nate's such a pacifist."

Oh, yes I did.

"Yeah," I murmured, pouring the egg mixture into the warm pan and getting out a spatula to make the eggs scrambled. "But still, this is their first fight…Nate really likes her…" In the back of my mind, I was thinking about that dumb box. _Could it have anything to do with the fight?_

Oh, relax, I told myself. It was just a fight, couples fight, big deal.

_Yeah but they've never fought before…_

I pushed the thought away and listened to what was Mitchie.

"…ane said that Nate came home soo pissed off! Apparently he just slammed his car door and pounded upstairs to their music room…He was playing some mean rifts apparently…then Jason joined him and it sounded like, one of those movies where it shows the gangs walking down the street and that hard core rock is playing in the background…at least, that's what Shane says."

Hm…

"Weird," I murmured, getting a plate from the cupboard and sliding my scrambled eggs onto it. "That's so not like Nate…I hope everything's okay."

I really hope so.

* * *

**Kay Crappy ending I know but I couldnt think of anything else to put...And, BTW, I would have updated last night but FF wasn't working! It wouldnt let me upload anything, which pissed me off but now it seems to be working fine. =D Yay. Review?!**


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